Vulnerable
by Monsterchild
Summary: Hermione left the trio three years ago and was never seen since. Ron comes to start teaching at Hogwarts and runs into his long lost friend. The only thing is that she is not the same Hermione as she was before.
1. Old Friends

Vulnerable 

Chapter 1: Old friends.

The Golden Trio had broken up three years after they graduated from Hogwarts and Voldemort was finally defeated. Only one person could really tell why it happened but she had been missing since that fateful night.

Flashback

"_To us!" Harry yelled, holding up his glass._

"_And to the end of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" Ron added, clinking his glass with Harry's._

_The both took a drink, Harry, all the while, staring over the rim of his glass. As soon as he swallowed he said, "Hey, Ron, 12 o'clock. Girl checking you out."_

_Ron turned around and looked at where Harry was staring. There was a skinny, tall, blonde girl dancing in the middle of the dance floor. And just as Harry said, she was staring at Ron._

"_Go talk to her," Harry insisted._

_He stood up and walked up to her, throwing out his best lines._

_Harry glanced over to Hermione on the next stool. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she was scowling._

"_What's with you, Hermione?" He asked, giving a concerned look._

"_Nothing, I'm fine," she muttered stiffly._

"_You don't seem fine," he replied._

"_I said I'm fine, Harry, just drop it."_

"_Okay, whatever, chill out. We're supposed to be celebrating."_

_Harry's words fell flat to Hermione's ears. All that mattered to her was that Ron was on the dance floor with that woman._

_After five minutes, she couldn't take it. She got up from her stool and marched up to Ron._

"_Hermione?" He asked, confused to why she was standing there. He noticed the tears in her eyes. "Are you okay?"_

_She just shook her head before slapping him across the face. She spun around and ran out of the club as fast as her legs could carry her._

_Ron ran after her, finally catching up to her a block away from the club. "Hermione!" He shouted._

"_What?" She screamed, tears streaming down her face._

"_What is going on?"_

"_I can't talk to you about it! I can't talk to anyone about it!" She started running again, turning a corner, out of Ron's sight. When he turned the corner, it was too late, she was gone._

End of flashback.

The 22-year-old Ronald Weasley walked into Minerva McGonagall's office, sitting down in a chair across from her. "Just like old times, huh, Professor?" He joked.

She smirked. "Ronald, we're co-workers, call me Minvera," she replied.

He gave her a timid look. "That seems a little weird considering I've called you Professor my whole life."

"Anyways, welcome to the team. The annual sorting ceremony is tonight so you will meet the other professors then. You may go."

He stood, walking out of her office and into the great hall. He watched as one of the other professors was bringing in the new students for the sorting ceremony which would be starting shortly.

"Hello," the professor said, "I'm Professor Granger, I will be your transfiguration teacher."

_Professor Granger? _Ron thought. He stepped towards them. "Granger?" He asked. "Hermione Granger?"

"Yes," she replied, looking towards him. "May I help you?"

"It's me, Ron Weasley."

A smile spread across her face and she locked him in a hug. "Ron! I haven't heard from you in years!"

"You're one to talk. You disappeared three years ago."

"Yeah, I started working here."

He paused, looking her over. "Wow, Hermione, you look exactly the same."

She smiled up at him. "Yeah, you…" She held up a hand and touched his face, feeling out all his features. "Too," she finished, dropping her hand.

His smile faltered. "Hermione… Are you-"

"Blind? Yes."

AN: Okay, this is my first HP fic so cut me a break but still be brutally honest. Please R&R!


	2. New Surprises

Disclaimer: (Sorry, I forgot to put this last time) I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 2: New Surprises.

Hermione turned to the students and gave them a smile. "Excuse me, students, for just a moment," she said sweetly. "Please stay here. I will be back shortly." She turned and motioned for Ron to follow her.

She was able to find her way to her office surprisingly well. Her office was Headmistress McGonagall's old office. The walls were covered with old photos. Hermione and Victor at the Yule Ball, Hermione, Ron, and Harry together after Harry won the second event of the Triwizard Tournament, and the picture of Hermione being sorted her first year. There was one where he could tell wasn't that long ago. Hermione's eyes were glazed over, he knew it must've been after whatever blinded her. There were too many to count but one did catch his eye. It was the trio after their graduation, standing proudly. Hermione kept reaching over and giving Ron a hug in the picture while Harry just stood on Ron's other side.

"So what are you doing here?" Hermione asked him, sitting at her desk.

"I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he explained, sitting across from her. "But… Wow, you. How long have you been here?"

"Three years."

"Wow… Can you believe that it's been three years sice we've se-" He paused, keeping himself from acting stupid.

She laughed. "It's okay, Ron. I'm not going to break down crying on you because I can't see."

His mind went back to that night, how she ran out of his sight in tears. "Hermione…"

"Don't," she interrupted. "I don't want to talk about that night."

"How'd you know that was what I wanted to talk about?" He asked, completely confused.

"There was a sharp intake of breath, I figured it had to be something big, and that was the only thing that is unexplained to you."

"What happened that night, Herm?" He asked, solemnly.

"I may explain it to you one day but not now."

"Okay, um, different subject. What happened to your eyes?" _Oh, yeah, Weasley, _he thought to himself, _that's a good change in subject._

"Well, I-"

Her office door swung open as Headmistress McGonagall came in. "Hermione, the ceremony is about to start," she said. She saw Ron sitting across from her. "I see you've met our transfiguration teacher, Ronald." She turned around and walked out of the office.

Hermione stood and walked towards the door. Ron stood as well, and grabbed onto her arm. "Let me help you," he offered.

She smiled. "You have changed a lot, Ron. But I can get around on my own."

His arm dropped from hers heavily. "Right… You probably know this castle by heart by now."

"Not quite but close." She paused. "Although, I do sometimes like a little help around." She gave him a smile and held up her arm.

Ron linked his arm through hers and led her into the great hall. He walked her up to the teachers' table and pulled out her chair for her. She sat and waited for Ron to sit next to her. "You sure have changed, Ron," she said, "you would've never done this for me in school."

He shrugged, forgetting that she couldn't see it. "Well, I have to admit, you leaving kind of opened my eyes," he explained in a soft voice. "Without you, it was easier to forget to do this and do that. So I began to focus more and even be more gentlemenly towards women."

"But you don't even know why I left," she said.

"I didn't have to, all I knew was that you were gone and that I may never see you again." He tried to look into her eyes but all he could see was the hope and fire that once resided there, clouded. It hurt to see her like that.

She locked him in a hug of gratitude. "But you had to know deep down that you would see me again some day."

"I think I did. I knew that I couldn't live without seeing you again."

She smiled and blushed, her feelings for Ron, returning. "Um, so, how's Harry?" She added, changing the subject.

"Oh, he's great. He and Ginny got married last year."

Hermione's smile grew. "Really? Wow, I thought Harry would be totally dense forever."

"Nope, he finally did it."

"So what's it like?" She asked. "Your best friend and your sister? Married? Must be kind of weird."

"It was at first but I got used to it after a while. The hardest part was getting used to the fact that Harry was actually in my family. I mean, he's always been like family but now he actually is."

"I know what you mean. You and Harry have always been like family to me."

"And you have always been part of my family."

She smiled again.

"Alright, students, welcome back to Hogwarts," Headmistress McGonagall said, indicating that the ceremony was about to start.

AN: Thanks for all the reviews so far. Please R&R!


	3. The House Where it All Began

Disclaimer: I don't own HP.

Chapter 3: The house where it all began…

"Alright, first year Gryffindors this way!" Hermione called, motioning for them to follow her and Ron. They walked out of the great hall and up multiple flights of the moving staircases. "Careful on the staircases, they move around. Even my friends and I got lost around here serveral times." She smiled, thinking back on the old times.

"Remember Fluffy?" Ron whispered to her.

She let out a loud laugh and her hand flew to her mouth, to stiffle the noise. "My God, I was so scared when we saw him."

"Of course you were the one that noticed the trapdoor, and saved our asses," Ron added.

"Well, what can I say? After seven years in school with you guys, I was definitely prepared for the real world."

They stopped in front of the portrait of the fat lady. "Password?" She asked.

"Dumbledore," Hermione said.

The portrait swung open and Ron pulled Hermione back so she wasn't hit.

"Thanks," she muttered, breathlessly.

"No problem," he replied, realizing how close together they were. "Um, let's go in."

She latched onto his arm and did her best to move around the arm chairs. Ron sat her down in and turned to the first years. "Alright, the boys' dorms are up the stairs and to the right, the girls' to the left." He sat in the chair next to her. "It's weird being in the old Gryffindor common room, isn't it?"

"A little, the only one that's missing is Harry."

"And I don't think he'll be joining us anytime soon. He and Ginny seem contempt with being Aurors."

"It's amazing… All Harry ever wanted has happened, except seeing his parents again."

"What about you? Hasn't all you ever wanted happened?"

"Not exactly, Ron. I'm still working on that."

He leaned closer to her. "Herm, what happened to your eyes?"

She sighed. "It happened about th-" She stopped as there was a loud crash behind them. She turned in the direction of the crash.

Ron saw three teenagers trying to stand up a suit of armor that they had just knocked down. The two boys, one with red hair and one with black, tried to stand it up while the brown-haired girl stood there with her arms crossed. "Could you guys be any stupider?" She quipped, annoyed.

"Helen, don't be so hard on these guys," Hermione scolded.

"But, Professor, they were fake dualing and then Ricky actually fired at Henry, knocking him into the suit of armor. He is so stupid!"

"Am not!" The redhead yelled at her.

"Shut up, Ricky!" She yelled back at him.

"Cut it out, you two," Hermione interrupted.

"Alright, Professor," they said calmly in unison.

Ron and Hermione turned back to face each other. "They seem familiar," Ron said.

"Yep, I thought so too," she replied

"They remind me of someone."

"That's Henry, Helen, and Ricky. They're third years. I met them when I started teaching here, they were first years at the time."

"Who do they remind me of?"

She smiled. "Us. They are such trouble makers and Helen always telling them that they're so stupid and that they're going to get in trouble, which they do most of the time." She paused. "But I think Helen and Rick have a thing for each other."

He blushed, knowing she couldn't see it. "Not like us, right?"

She shook her head. "Nope, not like us."

He sighed.

"What?" She asked him.

He looked at her. "I didn't say anything."

"I know but you sighed. That usually indicates that something is wrong."

"I just want to know what happened with us, Herm. I want to know why you ran off that night. And why you had disappeared from us, your family."

She paused, sitting there, not making a sound. "I want to, Ron, I really do but it's too soon. I was going to return to you guys one day and explained when I felt it was right. That hasn't come yet but it will and I will tell you when I think it's right."

"Okay, I understand, I think."

"Thank you." She reached out and waited for Ron to lock her in a hug.

Ron obliged but stood up afterwards. "I'm going to get some sleep, do you want me to walk you back to your room?" He offered.

"Um, no, I'm going to stay a little while longer. Keep an ear on these kids." She smiled, letting Ron know that it was okay to joke.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." He walked towards the portrait hole and looked back at the common room. In the corner, Ricky and Henry were playing wizards' chess while Helen read in one of the arm chairs. Ricky looked over at her and looked back right before Helen looked at him over the top of her book.

Ron smiled before exiting through the portrait hole.

AN: Cute! Anyways, please R&R!


	4. What Was Different Then

Disclaimer: I don't own HP.

Chapter 4: What was different then…

Ricky and Henry ran into the transfiguration classroom, out of breath.

"Gentlemen, you're late…" Hermione called from her desk.

"How does she always know it's us?" Henry whispered to Rick.

"Years of experience, boys," she replied. "And very acute hearing. Take your seats please. Helen will explain today's lesson to you."

The boys took their seats on either side of Helen.

"You're doing it wrong…" Helen said to Ricky.

"I think I know what I'm doing, Helen," he replied.

"No, you don't. You were the one who missed today's lesson."

"But I can handle this."

"No, you can't! Rick, watch what you're doing! Ah! My wand!"

There was an uproar of laughter from the class. Hermione stood and yelled, "Silent!" She used her cane to feel her way towards the trio. "Helen, hand me your wand," she said, holding out her hand. A slimy object was handed to Hermione, which she dropped and yelled, "What the bloody hell was that?"

"My wand…" Helen mumbled, unhappily.

Hermione bent down and felt around for the slimy stick, eventually picking it up. She set it down on the table and drew her wand from the top of her cane (AN: yes, kind of like Malfoy's father). With the help of Helen, she aimed at the mess and said, "Reversio!" The blob changed back to it's original form, making Helen squeal with excitement. "Thank you, Professor!"

"No problem," she replied. "Alright, class dismissed. Helen, please try to get these to up to snuff."

"I'll do my best, but they are so dence sometimes."

"I know what you mean. See you tomorrow."

As the class exited, Ron came into the classroom.

"How was your first class?" Hermione asked him.

"How'd you know it was me?" He replied sitting on one of the desks.

"Just a hunch. I went to see McGonagall after my first class. You often run to those you trust after an experience like this."

"The class was pretty good. I'm kind of taking what we learned from our teachers like Moody and Lupin and teaching it to them. Bogarts are next on the list."

"Sounds like it's going to be a blast." She used her cane to feel her way over to the desk. She placed a hand on the desk, trying to feel a good place to sit.

Ron jumped off the table and put his hands on her waist. "Let me help you," he whispered, his breath hitting the back of her neck. He He lifted her up, spun her around, and set her on the deck, taking his place beside her.

"Thanks," she breathed.

"Anytime," he replied. He scooted closer to her. "We have ten minutes until the next class starts. We have no chance of being interrupted."

"Your point?" She asked even though she knew what he was talking about.

"What happened to your eyes?"

"It happened that night three years ago."

"You mean, _that _night?"

She nodded in response. "When I ran out of your sight, I climbed onto a fire escape, right above you. I watched as you looked for me and turned back. But I didn't know that it would be one of the last things I would see." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I climbed back down the fire escape and debated going home or to Hogwarts or the Leaky Cauldron. But I didn't get very far. I was backed into a corner by a few wizards. I tried to fight back but they disarmed me…" She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. "One of them muttered something and it knocked me out. When I woke up, I couldn't see. I went straight to Hogwarts, hoping McGonagall could help me. Unfortunately without knowing what curse it was, we can't reverse it."

Ron stared down at the floor, feeling a pang of guilt.

"Ron? Are you still there?" She asked.

"I'm here," he replied, quietly.

"What's wrong?"

"This was my fault."

She shook her head vigorously. "It wasn't you who did this."

"But I chased you away."

"You don't know that you did. I left for my own reasons."

"But I should've followed you. I should've made sure you were okay. But I didn't and now your paying for it."

"Ron, stop being so hard on yourself. It wasn't as if you could've done anything. If you had been there with me, they would've just blinded you too. It's better that you weren't there."

He leaned over and gave her a hug. "I'm so sorry."

She tried to hold back her heavy emotions as she sat there in Ron's arms. "Maybe it was supposed to happen like this."

"I don't want to believe that. I don't want to believe that you were supposed to be in pain."

Her head perked up at the sound of students entering the room. "You should go…"

"Right," he replied, kissing her forehead, letting her know that everything would be okay.

AN: Wow, poor Hermione. Anyways, please R&R!


	5. We are family

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 5: We are family.

"Ron!" Ginny cried as she opened the door.

"Hey, Sis," he replied, locking his sister in a hug.

"What are you doing back here?" She asked, inviting him in. "I thought you were teaching at Hogwarts."

"I am, I just flew out here to see Harry," he explained.

"Okay, I see, so you didn't even want to say 'hi' to your own sister. You just want to see your best friend."

"Gin, it's not that. I just need to talk to Harry, it's important."

"Alright…" She turned towards the other room. "Harry! You have a visitor!" She called.

Harry came into view and a smile formed. "Ron!" He latched his brother-in-law in a hug. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at Hogwarts?"

"I have some news."

"What news?"

"You should sit down for this." He and Harry sat on the couch next to Ginny.

"What's going on? I haven't seen you this frazzled since Hermione disappeared."

"I found her," he breathed.

Harry's eyes widened. "What?"

"I found her. She has been at Hogwarts for the past three years."

"What? Why hasn't she contacted us? What has she been doing? Why did she run off? How is she doing?"

"Whoa there, Turbo. I haven't gotten there yet. There is something more important."

"What could be more important than finding out why she left?"

"She's blind."

"Blind?" Ginny piped in.

"Yes," Ron replied.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"It happened the night she ran off…"

"Ron, you know it wasn't your fault, right?"

"I'm trying to convince myself of that."

"Well, try harder."

"Anyways, she jumped onto the nearest fire escape and waited until I left. Then she was backed into a corner by some wizards and they disarmed her. She was knocked out and when she woke, she couldn't see."

"Can't McGonagall reverse it? If it was a curse, it can be reversed, right?"

"Not unless they know the curse and they don't."

"So she started teaching?"

"I think she hangs around there, hoping that there will one day be a reversal."

"What do you think?"

He paused. "I think there's no hope."

"Dumbledore," Ron said to the portrait of the fat lady. He climbed through the portrait hole and found Hermione sitting in one of the armchairs, listening to the activity around her.

"Hey, Herms," he said to her, sitting in another armchair.

"Hey, Ron," she replied. "Where have you been?"

"I went to visit Harry and Ginny."

Her face lit up and a smile spread from ear to ear. "Wow, how are they?"

"They're doing good." His voice faltered a little. "They send their love."

She thought for a moment. "You told them about the accident."

"No… What makes you say that?"

"The sound of your voice when you said they send their love. It sounded as though they felt sorry for me."

"Well, they do, Hermione. They wish that you didn't have to suffer through this."

"I'm not suffering and I don't need people feeling sorry for me." She was still grinning. "I just want to be treated as if I was the same old Hermione. As if none of this ever happened."

"Okay then, you got it." He looked around at the room surrounding him.

Henry and Ricky were once again in the corner playing wizards' chess while Helen was reading in a different armchair.

Ron looked from where Helen had been sitting the night before to the spot she was sitting now. "Wasn't she sitting farther away from them yesterday?"

"Who? Helen? Oh yeah…"

"How do you know?" He asked.

"The distance of voices is easy to tell. She has moved closer and closer to them all year long."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, at the beginning, she was sitting in the corner diagonal from them, claiming they made too much noise. It took me a bit but I finally realized that she was moving closer and closer day by day."

"Sounds like their in love."

AN: Please R&R!


	6. Thoughtful

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 6: Thoughtful.

After all his classes were done, Ron came into the transfiguaration classroom where Hermione was sitting at her desk. He stayed quiet as he entered.

"Hi, Ron," she said.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked, coming closer to her.

"You have a very distinctive walk," she replied.

"Good to know…" He laughed.

She got up from her desk, walking in the direction his voice was coming from. She tripped over her own feet, almost sending her to the floor. Ron caught her and looked down at her. She didn't know it but she was staring straight at him. He could feel her shake as if she were afraid. In all the time he had known her, Hermione never shook.

"So… um, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to go out to dinner with me tonight," he explained. "As friends, you know."

She smiled. "Um, yeah, sure, I just need to go get something from my room. I'll be back in a few minutes." She pulled away from Ron and walked out of the room, using her cane to make sure she wouldn't hurt herself.

Ron looked around the room, noticing a cupboard in the corner. He walked over to it and opened it. On the middle shelf was a pensive, filled with memories.

Even though his good sense told him not to, he looked into it, being sucked into one of her memories.

Hermione cried into her hands as she read the letter. Angry, she crumbled it up and threw it on the floor and continued to sob.

_Ron came down from the boys' dorms and found her crying. "Hermione?" He asked, coming closer._

_She looked up at him. "Ron? What are you still doing up?" She said, holding back her tears._

"_This annoying owl was pecking at the window for ten minutes…" He sat down next to her. "What about you?"_

"_That annoying owl was Victor's." She glanced down at the floor, not wanting him to see that she was upset. "He sent me a letter."_

"_So how is the boy wonder?"_

"_Single."_

"_What?"_

_She looked up at him. "Yeah, after three years of dating, he dumped me."_

"_Well, he may have been a quidditch star but his head was full of wood shavings."_

"_It doesn't matter, he was still my boyfriend."_

"_He was a dunder head…"_

_Hermione stood, frustrated and turn to him. "I don't want to hear this right now, Ron!" She grabbed the crumpled letter and ran up her dorm. She jumped onto her bed and uncrumpled the letter._

"_I know this must hurt," it read. "It's just, ever since you told me that you've had feelings for Ron since you've met him, I just can't see us the same way. I'm sorry."_

The pensive took Ron straight to another memory.

Hermione sat quietly at the bar of the club. Her back leaned against the counter and she stared off at the dance floor.

"_Hey there," a voice behind her said._

_She spun around to see a bartender standing behind the counter. "Oh hi," she replied._

"_So what's a pretty girl like you doing sitting here by yourself? Shouldn't your boyfriend be with you or something?"_

"_Don't have a boyfriend. I'm just waiting for a few friends."_

"_No boyfriend? Well, do you want to dance while you wait?"_

_She smiled at him. "Thank you for the offer but no. Actually, I kind of like one of my friends. But he'll never think of me like that."_

"_What kind of guy wouldn't?"_

_She shrugged. "I've known him since I was eleven. We graduated together about two years ago and we (which includes my other friend and his girlfriend) have all lived together since. We're meeting here with them to celebrate the end of you-know-who."_

"_Are you going to tell him ever?"_

"_You know, I've been debating that all night. I think I might."_

"_Well, good luck."_

"_Thanks." She turned back around and saw Ron coming towards her. "Hey, Ron!" She called to him. She shot a look back at the bartender._

"_That him?" He asked._

_She nodded and he shot a smile to her. "Good luck."_

_Harry came into the club also walking up to the bar with Ron. "Hey, bartender, can we get three drinks of whatever?" Harry asked._

"_Sure thing, and the lady's is on me," he said, giving Hermione a wink._

"_Looks like someone likes you, Hermione," Harry teased._

"_So you say," she replied._

_Harry grabbed his drink and held it up. "To us!"_

Ron was suddenly pulled from the pensive. He spun around quickly to see who did it and was relieved to find Harry. "Geez, Harry, don't scare me like that," he said. "I thought you were Hermione."

"You're lucky I wasn't," Harry replied. "Do you have any idea how mad she would've been?"

"Yeah, she would've been pissed…"

"Take it from someone who knows. Don't go medling in the memories that others obviously don't want revealed. I learned that the hard way in our fifth year." Harry's lips formed a mischieveous smile. "What'd you learn?"

Ron took a deep breath. "Why she left."

AN: Oh, intrigue… Keep reviewing!


	7. Three's Company

Disclaimer: Do I always have to put this? JKR owns this, not me.

Chapter 7: Three's Company

Harry stared at him with surprise. "Are you serious?" He asked. "Why?"

"Well," Ron started, "it was-" He stopped as Hermione came into the room.

"Ron?" Hermione asked, entering the room. "Who are you talking to?"

Harry looked at Ron and back to Hermione. "Um, he's talking to me, Hermione."

A smile intruded on her face. "Harry? Is that you?"

"Sure is," he replied.

She held out her arms. "Well, come over here and give me a hug!"

Harry did as he was told, hugging her tighter than ever before. "I've missed you, Hermione."

"I've missed you too, Harry." She paused letting him go. "Well, Ron and I were going out to dinner, you want to come with us?"

Harry looked over to Ron who gave a nod of permission. "Sure that would be great."

The three reunited friends sat in the Three Broomsticks like they had done so many times in the old days.

"So, Harry," Hermione asked, "what are you doing here?"

Harry sighed. "I came to give you guys some interesting news."

"What kind of news?" Ron replied.

Harry took a deep breath. "Ginny's pregnant! I'm going to be a father!"

Hermione squealed with joy and locked the boy next to her in a hug. "Congrats!"

"Okay, it's cool that I'm going to be an uncle," Ron said. "But the fact that my best friend impregnated my sister, it's kind of awkward."

"I know, man," Harry replied. "But, can't you at least just be happy for us?"

"I am, dude. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said sarcastically.

"I really mean it."

"Okay."

"Change of subject, please," Hermione said.

"Hermy," Harry started, "why did you leave?"

Ron kicked Harry from underneath the table.

"Ow!" Harry yelled at his best friend.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"Ron kicked me!" Harry said.

"No, I didn't!" Ron shouted.

"You did!"

"I was trying to get you to shut up and not ask a stupid question!"

Hermione sighed. "Don't get mad, Harry. Ron just knows that I don't want to talk about why I left. As I've already explained to him, I was planning to tell you guys when I felt that it was safe and right."

Ron and Hermione said their goodbyes to Harry before heading back to Hogwarts. They entered the Gryffindor common room and sat at their usual spots. Ron glanced over to the mini trio's corner. "Geez," he said, "there's only one chair between them."

"I think the secret might come out soon," she replied.

"I think so too. I wonder what will happen."

"Whatever happens, it's better than hiding it all her life." Her voice was solemn, Ron knew that she was talking about herself more than Helen. "At least then Ricky will know how she feels and she won't spend her whole life wondering how her life would've been different ."

Ron sighed. "Maybe he likes her too. And maybe he won't spend his life wondering what would happen if he tells her. Maybe he won't wonder if she would be like she is today if he had told her."

He looked over his best girl friend as she sat silently. He kept thinking that he understood what she was talking about. That they knew secretly all along what the other was talking about.

"Um, I think I'm going to get to sleep," Hermione said. "I'm not feeling too well."

"Are you okay?" Ron asked, helping her up.

"I'm fine, I just think I ate too much. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ron stared at the ceiling as he tried to fall asleep. _What was all that talk about earlier? _He thought. _Were we both trying to say the same thing? Was she saying that she regrets never telling me? Was she trying to tell me about why she left?_

There was a creak as his bedroom door opened. He sat up and stared into the darkness. "Who's there?" He called.

Hermione approached his bed carefully. "It's just me," she said.

He held out an arm to her, grabbing hold of her and sitting her down next to him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine…" She hesitated, sighing and hugging him. "It just hurts!"

He was taken aback. "I thought you said you weren't suffering."

"I'm not physically."

"Then what is it?"

"It hurts knowing that I'll never be able to see again."

His grip around her tightened. "You will."

"Oh please, Ron," she sighed. "There are too many curses to know which one they used. And we may never find it."

"You can't give up hope."

"Can I stay here tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"Sure thing." He paused thinking over his decision. "Um… Herms, I have to tell y9ou something…"

AN: Dun dun dun! Sorry, a moment of immaturity. Anyways, please R&R!


	8. I Should Tell You

Disclaimer: It belongs to JKR, not me.

Chapter 8: I should tell you.

"What?" Hermione asked the boy who was sitting right next to her. "What do you want to tell me?"

Ron sighed. "When I was waiting for you to come back before we went to dinner…" He didn't know how to put this. The fact that he went through her memories without her permission.

"What about it?" She insisted.

He took a deep breath. "There was a cupboard that was open and I looked inside. It was your penseive and the curiousity got the best of me."

She sighed.

"Herms, I'm sorry. I know that it was a total invasion of privacy."

She smiled at him. "So you looked in my penseive?"

"Yes," he replied, glumly.

"The penseive that was in my open cupboard?"

"Yes."

"The one that I could've easily locked before I left the room but didn't?"

"Yes! How many times do I have to say I'm-" He paused, the point dawning on him. "You left the cupboard open for a reason, didn't you?"

"Of course…"

"But why? I thought you didn't want me knowing about the reason you left."

"I was going to wait for a time when I felt was right to tell you. But what I was really waiting for was a time when I would be safe from my feelings. Recently I realized that there would never be a time that I would be safe from my feelings."

"Then why not just tell me yourself?"

"How was I supposed to tell one of my best friends that I disappeared because of him? How was I supposed to say that my feelings for you were the reason for running? I couldn't think of anyway to put it. So I left the cupboard open when I left, that way you could figure it out. I knew those memories would explain everything. I mean, I poured my heart out to that bartender. Everything you needed to know was in that conversation."

Ron's head was reeling. His best friend had liked him for years and he was too stupid to realize it.

"Night, Herms," he said laying down. He turned to his other side but Hermione spoke up.

"Ron," she said.

"Yeah?"

"I hope that what you found out doesn't make things weird between us."

"It won't, Hermy, I swear." He hugged her and when he pulled away, he leaned back in and kissed her. Realizing what he just did, he turned onto his other side again, leaving her with more question than answers.

Ron didn't seek out Hermione this time, she sought out him.

He was sitting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office. It looked completely different than from teachers before. It wasn't filled with strange gadgets like Moody had but it wasn't even close to being as girly as Umbridge had it. Like Hermione's office, the walls were covered with old moving photos.

"Hermione?" He asked, as she entered his office.

She sat down across from him, her face more serious than he'd ever seen her before.

"Is everything okay?" He added.

"Ronald Weasley," she replied sternly. "What was going through your head? What the hell were you thinking last night?"

He sighed, looking at his feet. "Look I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

She stood, frustrated. "I don't want to hear that! I want to hear why you kissed me!"

He stood too, coming to the other side of his desk where she was. "Because, Herms! I've liked you since our first year! I was just always too afraid to tell you! Because I knew that if there was one person that could hurt me the most, it would be you!"

"Then why did you always chase after other girls? Why did you just make me feel worse and worse and pine for you all these years?"

"I didn't know!" He yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

"But that girl in the club that night. That's when I just finally snapped. I just couldn't take it, the night I planned to make a move, you start dancing with another girl. I wanted to decapitate Harry for pointing her out." She took a deep breath, thinking of another thing to add. "One thing you didn't answer: why did you chase after all those girls? If you felt the same way about me, why did you go after every other girl that you could?"

He clenched his teeth, knowing that he was going to have to tell the truth. "I wasn't going to sit around waiting for the best time to persue you. If I had waited, you would've figured it out and I was afraid of rejection, okay? Besides, it's not like you were in a convent your whole life. You went out with Victor."

"That was a different story. I was hurt. Like I said to you in our forth year, you should've just asked me and not as a last resort."

"Hermione, I was stupid as a kid. I thought I was a big shot but I wasn't. I was too self involved to realize what you really meant."

Unsure of what else to say, she turned around and started towards the Gryfindor Common room. Ron followed her, trying to talk to her. "Hermione, don't you understand that I'm sorry for everything? I'm sorry for chasing you away three years ago. I'm sorry!"

"Dumbledore," Hermione mumbled to the portrait and climbed through, Ron following her. "Ron, I understand that you're sorry but it still hurts! I still feel like there is a hole inside from the pain before."

"Helen! Don't walk away from me!" Ricky yelled at her as she sauntered across the room.

"I don't want to talk to you right now, Ricky!" Helen shouted tears streaming down her face.

"Len, if we don't tlak about this know, then things will change between us! I don't want things to change!"

"They won't, Rick! If you just forget I said anything!"

"No! I won't forget that you told me how you feel about me!"

"Please! Just forget about it!"

"I won't forget it! Because…."

"Because what?"

"Because of this!" His hands clamped onto her shoulders and pulled her roughly towards him, into a kiss.

Her body went from stiff to relaxed as she got into the kiss.

Ron looked down to Hermione.

"They finally told each other?" She asked.

"Yeah, they did," he replied.

They turned to face each other and Ron leaned down, giving her a small kiss.

AN: Yay! Finally! Sorry it took so long to update but I was having writers' block. And sorry about the typo in last chapter but all writers make mistakes. Anyways, please R&R!


	9. The Secrets That Bind Us

Disclaimer: I don't own HP.

Chapter 9: The secrets that bind us.

Ron met Hermione in her office after classes were complete. He was beginning to figure out that it was easier for him to go to her, than for her to go to him. "Hey, Herms," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

She smiled and reached a hand out to him. He took it in his and pulled her to her feet. "I want to show you something," she said with a grin.

He didn't quite understand what she was getting at, but he followed her lead. She led him across the room to the cupboard where the penseive was.

"What's going on, Hermione?" he asked.

Her grip on his hand got tighter. "Just follow me." And with that, both of them were pulled into the penseive.

_Hermione cried into her hands as she read the letter. Angry, she crumbled it up and threw it on the floor and continued to sob._

_Ron came down from the boys' dorms and found her crying. "Hermione?" He asked, coming closer._

_She looked up at him. "Ron? What are you still doing up?" She said, holding back her tears._

"Hermione?" The real Ron asked. "I've already seen this…"

"I know…" she replied. "But I don't think you saw everything that you needed to see…"

"But I saw a lot of the bar… You know, that night…" he responded.

"Then you didn't see everything that's important…"

"But-"

"Shhh…" she hushed him.

"_Thanks." She turned back around and saw Ron coming towards her. "Hey, Ron!" She called to him. She shot a look back at the bartender._

"_That him?" He asked._

_She nodded and he shot a smile to her. "Good luck."_

_Harry came into the club also walking up to the bar with Ron. "Hey, bartender, can we get three drinks of whatever?" Harry asked._

"_Sure thing, and the lady's is on me," he said, giving Hermione a wink._

"_Looks like someone likes you, Hermione," Harry teased._

"_So you say," she replied._

_Harry grabbed his drink and held it up. "To us!"_

"_And to the end of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" Ron added, clinking his glass with Harry's._

_The both took a drink, Harry, all the while, staring over the rim of his glass. As soon as he swallowed he said, "Hey, Ron, 12 o'clock. Girl checking you out."_

_Ron turned around and looked at where Harry was staring. There was a skinny, tall, blonde girl dancing in the middle of the dance floor. And just as Harry said, she was staring at Ron._

"_Go talk to her," Harry insisted._

_He stood up and walked up to her, throwing out his best lines._

_Harry glanced over to Hermione on the next stool. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she was scowling._

"_What's with you, Hermione?" He asked, giving a concerned look._

"_Nothing, I'm fine," she muttered stiffly._

"_You don't seem fine," he replied._

"_I said I'm fine, Harry, just drop it."_

"_Okay, whatever, chill out. We're supposed to be celebrating."_

_Harry's words fell flat to Hermione's ears. All that mattered to her was that Ron was on the dance floor with that woman._

_After five minutes, she couldn't take it. She got up from her stool and marched up to Ron._

"_Hermione?" He asked, confused to why she was standing there. He noticed the tears in her eyes. "Are you okay?"_

_She just shook her head before slapping him across the face. She spun around and ran out of the club as fast as her legs could carry her._

_Ron ran after her, finally catching up to her a block away from the club. "Hermione!" He shouted._

"_What?" She screamed, tears streaming down her face._

"_What is going on?"_

"_I can't talk to you about it! I can't talk to anyone about it!" She started running again, turning a corner, out of Ron's sight. When he turned the corner, it was too late, she was gone._

_Hermione watched from an escape ladder above as Ron sighed dejectedly and left the alley way. She wiped the tears from her eyes and started climbing down the ladder._

"_Hey, girly…" A creepy voice said from below her._

_She looked at the ground below her to see three adult wizards standing there. Panicked, she tried to hurry back up the ladder._

"_No, no, no.." the wizard said, reaching up and grabbing hold of her leg._

_Hermione let out a scream as the wizards pulled her off of the ladder and surrounded her. "What do you want?" She tightened her grip on her wand._

_They laughed maliciously. "What do we want?" the first wizard repeated. "Expelliarmus." He sneered. "Nocio."_

_She felt her legs collapse beneath her. The pavement felt cold against her skin. She was drifting into a deep sleep. But as the world was becoming dark, one of the wizards mumbled something, making everything turn black._

Ron looked at Hermione next to him. "That last thing he said," he said excitedly. "It could've been the curse…"

She nodded. "Maybe. But listen."

_Everything was still dark. Completely black. But then Hermione's voice said, "Lumos." Nothing happened. "Lumos!" Still nothing happened. "Lumos!" she cried desperately. Nothing. Then a sob broke the silence._

Ron and Hermione came out of the penseive and Ron stood there in dismay. "You may know the curse they used…"

She nodded slowly. I've never been able to figure it out…"

"But maybe-" he started to say.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Ron." A smile encroached on her face. "Maybe this is how things are supposed to be." She paused before asking, "You want to get dinner?"

He smiled, knowing he was defeated on this matter. "Sure, let's hit The Three Broomsticks."

Together they headed towards the door. But as they went through the doorway, Ron stopped, staring back at the penseive.

"You coming, Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," he replied, closing the door behind him.

AN: I'm back! Yeah, I know, I haven't updated in over a year. I bet you didn't think I would. But I did, just hadn't gotten around to it… I get so many ideas and I only have so much time… Anyways, I'm back. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please R&R


	10. I Need Your Help

_Disclaimer: I don't own HP._

_Chapter 10: I need your help._

_Headmistress McGonagall looked up as there was a knock on her office door. "Come in," she called, looking back down at her work._

_Ron opened the door slowly and entered, shutting it quickly behind him. "Professor, I need your help," he said quickly, sitting in the chair across from her._

_She looked at him, dumbfounded. "My help? With what?"_

_He pressed his palms flat on her desk and leaned forward. "I need you to help me get Hermione's eyesight back._

_McGonagall let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair. "Ronald, I told you before, we need to know the curse before we can-"_

"_That's what I need help with," he interrupted. With no anticipation of a reply, he continued. "She has this memory in her penseive that has the memory of that night. One wizard mumbled something I couldn't understand. It could be the curse!"_

_Her eyebrow arched with interest. "Do you have any idea how unlikely it is that that was the curse?"_

_He nodded. "Incredibly." Chewing on his bottom lip, he pleaded, "Please, Professor. I just want to give her a chance. Maybe give her back what she has given me: a new way of seeing life. Though, hers will be more literal."_

_McGonagall smiled at him. "So what do you need?"_

_HPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_

_McGonagall and Ron stood outside of the transfiguration classroom, waiting. Just waiting for when Hermione would finally come out. Then their plan would sent into action._

_She finally emerged, gripping onto the door frame. Ron held out a hand to her and said, "Lunch?"_

_She didn't even ask who it was, she just replied, "Of course."_

_They walked off together, Ron shooting a conspiring glance toward McGonagall. She nodded in return and slunk into the classroom. She glided across the room to the closet where Ron had told her the penseive was hidden. It was exactly where he had and she dove into the bowl of memories._

_The penseive drove her from memory to memory until she reached the one she was looking for._

"_Hey, girly…" A creepy voice said from below her._

_She looked at the ground below her to see three adult wizards standing there. Panicked, she tried to hurry back up the ladder._

"_No, no, no.." the wizard said, reaching up and grabbing hold of her leg._

_Hermione let out a scream as the wizards pulled her off of the ladder and surrounded her. "What do you want?" She tightened her grip on her wand._

_They laughed maliciously. "What do we want?" the first wizard repeated. "Expelliarmus." He sneered. "Nocio."_

She felt her legs collapse beneath her. The pavement felt cold against her skin. She was drifting into a deep sleep.But as the world was becoming dark, one of the wizards mumbled something, making everything turn black.

_HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_

_Ron met McGonagall back in her office after his lunch with Hermione. She was saying an enchantment over and over again, as if trying not to forget it. "What did you find?" Ron asked as he entered the office._

"_The curse is an odd one," she replied, her face not giving away anything. "It's a tricky spell, very dark magic. The wizards must've been very strong, maybe former death eaters. This is a kind of spell that Dumbledore would be able to reverse."_

_Ron's face dropped. "So… you don't know how to reverse the curse?"_

_She smiled. "Now I didn't say that…"_

_His eyes widened in amazement and I broad smile bloomed over his face. "You figured it out?"_

_She nodded, the smile refusing to fall from her face. "I did." She held out a piece of parchment out to him. "This is what you need to do. Good luck, Ronald."_

_He stood, taking the parchment from her hands. "Thank you, McGonagall," he said before rushing out of her office._

_HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_

_Once he knew she was asleep, Ron crept into Hermione's room, wand and instructions in hand. He approached her slowly and silently. Leaning down when he reached her, he touched the tip of his wand to her forehead and whispered, "Fererio reverisi." His wand tip glowed momentarily and Ron took a step back from her. He wouldn't know until morning if it had worked or not._

_He stared at her as she shifted and resettled. He smiled at her. She would wake up and be happy. And that's all he wanted._

_HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_

_Hermione's eyes fluttered open the next morning, the light seeming blinding to her. Wait… The light. She sat up quickly and looked around the room. For once, she was seeing. She was seeing! Her eyesight had returned!_

_AN: Hello! I know, it's been way over a year since I've updated, but I was working on my own stories, my original stuff. I think that there will be one more chapter of this story and then I'm done. And keep in mind that I started this story before the seventh book came out… Alright, R&R!_


End file.
